Pinnacle Health plans medical center in Howe Twp.

Pinnacle Health is planning to open a 30,000-square-foot medical professional center just off Shortcut Road in Howe Twp.

Patrick Simonson, Pinnacle’s director for ambulatory care facilities and development, said a recent community health assessment showed the Newport area was sorely lacking in access to primary physicians and cardiovascular care.

To address those needs, the facility will have space for three primary care physicians and a cardiovascular suite. The center also will be equipped to perform MRIs, CT services, DEXA screening, ultrasounds, diagnostic X-rays, nuclear medicine and mammography services.

A lab drawing center and a specialists’ suite, which will provide the capacity to perform urology, orthopedics, and endocrinology work, are included in the plans.

A Pinnacle Health Lifecare ambulance will be on-site to provide faster transport should a patient need to be taken to a hospital. Simonson emphasized that the ambulance will not compete with local ambulance associations and that its presence does not mean the facility will be a trauma center.

A second story will house the relocated dental and optometry dental offices of Dr. Daniel Hengst and Sisson-Boyer Eyecare LLC. Simonson said both of those service providers chose to move their facilities to operate in a more modern office and improve the level of care.

The first floor also will have a dual-purpose meeting room for conducting healthy lifestyle education seminars, while also being made available for community groups and organizations.

The center will be served by the Newport Water Authority and Simonson estimated daily water consumption at approximately 1,000 gallons.

Pinnacle hopes to break ground by the end of July, and to open for business next May. An old barn on the property will be left untouched and protected as a historical landmark.